This poker journal is dormant as of October 20, 2006.
It will be kept for archives. Enjoy.
Felicia

Monday, April 26, 2004

Friday in Vegas

On Friday we got up early and decided to eat at the Nugget. Their cafe was always good, and this was no exception.

We entered the poker room, but nothing much was going on, so we decided to head over to Binion's.

Luckily, the Golden Gate had the same room become available, due to cancellations, so we were able to keep it overnight.

Binion's was a madhouse again. The 2k NLHE event was getting ready to start, and it was like the main event. Over 800 people, fighting to get a seat. I wasn't in the slightest bit interested, as I always try to get some kind of edge, or at least not be a huge underdog in a gigantic field.

Glenn parked his butt as always in a NLHE cash game. I decided to try to some more $50 one table satellites. I won my first one, but never won after that, lol.

I met up with Michael and Mas. Michael and I even played in one of the $50 sats together. He was out at 4th, I believe. In one hand, both myself and another woman were dealt AA at the same time. A short stack went for a steal on the button, not thinking that the two blind hands would both have AA. Later, Michael was short and went for a steal UTG with Q3o, I believe. I called with something like KJo and got his chips. I was fortunate, because both of the big stacks got into a war. One had KK the other AQo and the kings knocked out the other stack, so I got the seat.

I wanted to sell it, because they weren't giving out lammers anymore, and the certificate was non-transferrable, but almost everyone was playing for the rebuy, or they just didn't want the seat.

Now I had to commit to playing the super at 7:45, ugh. Oh well, a free seat is a free seat. I decided to try a couple more sats to win rebuys. That didn't work, and I ended up with just the free entry instead.

I talked to some of the crew at ESPN, only to find out that they were definitely taping the Stud event, both random shots the first day, and the whole final table on Sunday. Rats! Why me? Who wants to see some piddly little $1500 Stud event? I had to decide if I should go ahead and play or not. Glenn and I both agreed that ESPN might tape it, but would probably just show clips. I decided to go ahead and play.

At 7:45pm, I entered the NLHE super. My table was absolutely the softest table I've seen in a long time. In seat two was a bracelet winner, I don't know who he is, but he was the closest thing to a good player there. The other guys all talked about how they had won their entry on the Internet and had never played live poker, etc. One guy was so nervous and upset that he could barely play.

They were rebuying like mad, whereas I had no intention of rebuying, so once I got used to the table dynamics, I just started going all-in constantly. During the first hour, I must have gone all-in 15-20 times. Any pair, any suited ace, any ace with an eight or better, KQ, QJ. We just didn't have any chips to start with, and I thought this was my best strategy when no one else seemed to want the pot.

I mostly stole pots, but sometimes I got called, and usually had the best of it, even with my stinky hands. I just sat and ran over the table, the only resistance being the bracelet in seat two. Once he went over the top of me in the BB. I raised in LP with KQs and he had pocket sixes. He was so shortstacked (as was almost everyone), that he chose this hand to make a stand. I got no help, and he doubled through me.

I kept up my strategy into the second hour. The blinds were just ridiculous given the number of chips on the table. One poor Internet guy had never even won a hand, never really played a hand, and got blinded out.

A player to my right went all-in and I looked down to see KK. I went over the top and we were HU. He had AKo and started to gather his stuff to leave. He got an ace, and I was crippled yet again. I went all-in in the BB just a couple of hands later. I didn't even look at my cards, just called with my last two chips to a LP raiser. I flipped over 83o to his A5o and went out. I was about 75 in a field of 185.

Glenn and I decided to go back to the hotel and get some good sleep for the noon Stud event on Saturday.